Foxfire Bride

Rating:
Summary: Sigh.
Review: At the beginning of the journey, Tanner is asked if he trusts the guards he hired for the trip. He says yes with no hesitation--it made you think they were going to be someone important in his life rather than just 2 hired men. One day into the trip, the men screw up and Tanner questions their reliability--a little too late, huh? Meanwhile, they were hired to guard $50,000 for 3 months. That's a big responsibility.

The description of the hero and heroine really bothered me. Tanner is described as having reddish brown hair with a craggy face. Fox gets part of her ear chopped off in a shoot out. It's referred to again and again how she's missing a chunk of her ear lobe.

When they become intimate, he takes off her sweaty, filthy, leather boots that she's been wearing for probably years at at time and sucks on her toes.....what a pleasant thought. Their next love scene involves the feet again. Gross.

She's a hard headed guide who's dedicated to her work and getting them quickly and safely to Denver. Midway through the book the 2 main characters become involved intimately and now that's all she thinks about and talks about. They've completely become lax in guarding the money and go off into the woods to be alone while leaving the guards (one of whom was robbed once already, and the other whose honesty was doubted from the start) with Peaches, an elderly sick man. Need I say more?

Maggie Osborne is now 0 for 3 on my scorecard. The last 3 books she's written have fallen way short of the keeper category for me.

Rating:
Summary: An exciting Civil War romance
Review: Fox wants to kill Debeck for shooting her in the leg because she happened to be a better scout; however Debeck is dead. She also wants to kill Hobbs Jennings, whom she believes stole her life. He still lives as a big shot in Denver running Jennings Mining & Mercantile. Fox's only friend, elderly black man Peaches, has failed in his efforts to move past her thirst for vengeance.

Matthew Tanner needs a scout to get him back to Denver in three months. The only way to achieve this almost impossible task is through the dangerous mountain ranges. He hires Fox considered the best scout around, but as she informs him she has not done that work in years. Two other men are in their party heading west carrying gold, which is a magnet for killers as everyone knows about the cargo; worse the gold is to ransom Matthew's father Hobbs. As danger comes from without and within, Fox and Matthews fall in love, but which emotion, hatred or love, is strongest inside Fox's heart?

This is an exciting Civil War romance although the war plays a minor role (except for one fanatical member of the trek) as the West is not touched as much as the east. The story line is action-packed as the gold is a target. The lead duo is a fine pairing especially since Fox finds herself warring with murder the father vs. loving the son. Peaches and several other secondary players provide an added light to 1860s Colorado so that the audience will appreciate Maggie Osborne's latest tale.

Harriet Klausner


Rating:
Summary: Fantastic vintage Osborne
Review: Great ready Osborne fans, Maggie Osborne is back and it's vintage stuff. I've
had some trouble with her latest books (and didn't even read the one from last
year) but this one ranks up with the best. It's got a few problems (mainly some
unexplained plot set up points) but the characters are great, the interactions
are great, the scenery is great, the gritty details are....you get the picture.

Fox is the kind of heroine I love. She's tough, she can survive, she can get
the job done. She doesn't go around shrilly insisting that she can do anything,
she just goes out and does it. She can outfight, outdrink, outride any man and
is one of the best scouts in the West. She also doesn't undergo a brain
transplant during the last third of the book and totally change who she is.

Tanner is a wonderful hero. He's strong enough that he can take orders from
a woman yet still be a man. He begins to admire Fox for just the woman she
is and works tirelessly to find a solution to their relationship problem. And
it's a doozy. Osborne doesn't pull any punches with it. When the chips are
down, he doesn't yank out some childhood angst and blame Fox for it then
turn on her.

But one of the best aspects of this book is the relationship between Fox
and a man who's helped raise her. Peaches is one of the best secondary
characters I've read about all year. In fact, probably in a long time. The
other two men along for the road journey are fleshed out enough to stand
on their own but don't take over the story with subplot distractions.

I like the way Osborne resolves with main conflict of the book. It's not
totally cut and dried but ends realistically and a little open ended. What
isn't really explained too well is the reason Tanner is to bring the ransom
with him instead of just going to Denver and the reason the kidnappers
are willing to wait three months for the payment. Both Tanner and Fox
wonder the very same things and all that is said is that it's being done
this way because the kidnappers said to. I kept waiting for the reasons
but this was never cleared up.

In this day of modern highways, trains, plains and automobiles it's easy
to forget an age when traveling from Reno, NV to Denver, CO took three
months of backbreaking, life threatening effort. But Osborne shows us
a land of great beauty that was the reward for such risks. I'd kind of like
to have seen it.


Rating:
Summary: Great stuff!
Review: I enjoyed this one very much. Maggie Osborne is an author who doesn't write your typical whiny, helpless, feminine heroine which is why I love her books so much and continue to buy them new.

Fox, one the best scouts around, and her elderly friend Peaches are eeking out a living selling ice when Fox is approached to lead an expedition by a man named Tanner who tempts her with lots of gold pieces (and his ruggedly good looks, though she'll never admit it). Fox is the best and isn't afraid to boss the men around. When she discovers Tanner's true reason for the expedition she can't refuse even though the trip will quite possibly put all of their lives in danger. During the course of the trip Fox and Tanner begin a "liason" that quickly turns into a love with no future.

This book was a great western road trip with a foul mouth, rough around the edges heroine. In comparision, Tanner seemed almost a little bland but that's a mild complaint. This book reminds me why I used to love the romance genre so very much.

Rating:
Summary: Somewhat disappointed
Review: I had high hopes for this book when I bought it, but I am somewhat disappointed. I usually like unique female heroines, but for some reason Fox was incredible unappealing. I think if she said "fricking" one more time I would have thrown the book out the window. I think the author used superficial elements to try to convey Fox as a spirited, unique, independent woman, i.e. bacon grease, rough language, cigars etc. I would have preferred the author to use a bit more character depth to convey "true grit" and independence. I agree with the other reviewer whose visual on Tanner sucking on sweaty toes says it all.

Rating:
Summary: Unique Heroine
Review: In the tradition of "Silver Lining," Maggie Osborne has created another wonderful and unique heroine. Fox is gritty, determined, and willing to do what it takes to survive. "Foxfire Bride" is the journey of a woman who finds more than love on the trail to Denver; she finds herself as well. Although the story is a little predictable in places, it doesn't detract from the overall enjoyment. If you like unusual heroines that are a change from the standard romance lady, you'll love Fox and reading about her adventures.

Leslie Rosen Davis
Author of Dangerous Affairs

Rating:
Summary: Disappointing...
Review: Matthew Tanner has received a terrifying message - His father is being held for ransom in Denver. Matthew has the money that is being demanded by his fathers kidnappers, but he needs help. He has little time to make the long journey to Denver..he needs the best guide that money can buy.
When Matthew hears the best is a scout called Fox, he eagerly seeks him out. Matthew is completely shocked to find that Fox isnt a "he" at all...Fox is a woman. A woman like no other.

Fox was once the one of the most sought after scouts, but an injury ended all of that...Until handsome Matthew Tanner shows up and pleads for her to help him to save his father. Fox takes one look at Tanner and the money he is willing to pay her and decides that this is one offer too good to refuse.

I have read many books by Maggie Osborne and have enjoyed her work time and time again. Unfortunately, Foxfire Bride didnt do much for me. I felt like the writing was very choppy. Scenes would leap from one paragraph to the next with no smooth transitions and POV switches were all over the place. It all felt rushed somehow.

My main complaint with this book was all about the characters - Fox especially. I dont expect every character to be a beauty. I dont have a problem with a heroine being average or even ugly, but Fox was just flat out unappealing. She was so manly, I just couldnt get past it.
As for Tanner...I just felt like he wasnt very memorable. He was very blah to me. I couldnt connect with him or Fox at all. This made it hard for me to really care about their story and its outcome.

As I said before, I have read Maggie Osborne in the past and enjoyed her. I will definitely give her a try again in the future, but as for Foxfire Bride, this is not a book that I would recommend.



Rating:
Summary: 5 stars for this one
Review: Not your typical western, this was a fast and easy read, entertaining too...

Rating:
Summary: Fabulous.
Review: Set during the Civil War. Fox was the best scout in the area until a gunshot to her leg ended the career. She lives a quiet life now with her best friend, an elderly black man called Peaches. As much as Peaches has tried to help her, Fox could not get past her thirst for revenge against Hobb Jennings who ruined her life when she was a child. Jennings still lives high on the hog in Denver, where he runs Jennings Mining & Mercantile. A chance for Fox to kill Jennings arrives in the form of a handsome man looking to hire her as a guide through the wilderness to Denver.

Matthew Tanner needs to reach Denver within three months. His father, Hobb Jennings, is being held by kidnappers and he must get the ransom there in time. Two other men are in their party, Hanratty and Brown, as they begin heading west carrying gold ... gold that everyone in the world seems to already know about. Fox agrees, but Tanner must also agree to hire Peaches as their wrangler.

The trek is long and hard. There is danger at every turn. Tanner has no idea, at first, that Fox plans to kill his father. But even when he does learn it he cannot change the way he feels for Fox, nor does he wish to. However, he cannot believe his father has done what she claims.

***** The author hides Fox's real name until far into the book. Therefore, I will not reveal it. Rest assured the nickname is worthy. I especially love the fact that the author, Maggie Osborne, did not make her characters to be physically perfect, such as Fox missing an earlobe. This made Fox seem more real to me.

The story is extremely well written and there is something going on every minute. Boredom will NOT be a problem while you read this gem! If I did not know better I would swear Maggie Osborne somehow shocked life into the characters, even the secondary ones. Highly recommended reading. *****

Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.

Rating:
Summary: You'll SImply Love the Journey
Review: Though the name might sound strange, Fox is a woman, reputed to be one of the best scouts in the business before a gunshot to her leg put a halt to her career. Now she and her best friend, Peaches, an elderly black man who has been her companion since she was a young child are living quietly trying to make a living cutting and selling ice. Fox now has one goal in life, and that is to end the life of the man she holds responsible for ruining hers when she was but a child - a life that should have been one of wealth and privilege rather than the hard and dangerous life she'd been forced to live. The man she planned to kill was Hobb Jennings, living high and mighty in Denver off of the inheritance that should have been hers. Therefore, it had to be providence that brought the handsome stranger into her life looking to hire a scout to guide him through the wild and untamed wilderness to Denver within three months.

The man was Matthew Tanner and if he couldn't reach Denver in three months time, with a ransom in gold the people who had kidnapped his father would then kill him. Tanner didn't tell Fox, when she signed up at an exorbitant fee to guide him exactly why he needed to get to Denver. Fox originally looked at Tanner as a Godsend, but had she realized that they would be escorting a fortune in gold she was savvy enough to realize the increased risks. She also wasn't too keen on the two disreputable looking guards he'd hired, but after negotiating a position for Peaches to come along they all set out on an incredible adventure that would change a lot of how they looked at life.

As an introduction to this author I was extremely impressed with this well-written and captivating story. Fox was certainly a most interesting and intrepid heroine, never revealing her true name until the very end. Driven by revenge and hatred, she was fiercely loyal to her best friend Peaches and their special bond like father and daughter was superbly well done as well as the friendships that developed over the journey with the two guards, Hanratty and Brown. The romance between Tanner and Fox, both having no expectations of any kind of a happily ever after was sweet as well as a bit humorous at times. Reading between the lines I was not surprised by the outcome at the end of the journey, yet it in no way took away from any of the romance nor any of the enjoyment of the thrill of the ride.

BOTTOM LINE: You'll laugh, you'll cry, but you're definitely going to love the journey this author takes you on. --- Marilyn, for www.historicalromancewriters.com ---